The Wake

When Aleksey Zharinov came to the United States three and a half years ago from his native Russia, he had few expectations and a great deal of questions. But he did know the United States had prominent tennis competition and, of course, his beloved Metallica. Zharinov, often called “The Tank” or “Russia” by his teammates and friends, is a senior sports management major from the city of Novosibirsk, Russia, roughly four hours from Moscow. Though many wouldn’t consider Russia’s frigid climate to be ideal for tennis, Zharinov developed into one of the best talents in the central part of the country for his age, he said. He met and became friends with a businessman from Minnesota who thought Zharinov should test his tennis talent against superior competition in the …

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As University Rec Center patrons circle the track in the Fieldhouse and intramural-soccer games heat up nearby, the Men’s Rugby club is plopped right in the middle of the action taking part in what some may call Rugby 101. Spring is the season of a fresh start and high expectations for the club which has a high turnover of new athletes each season. The majority of the competition, including the national tournament, takes place in the fall so the newcomers and veterans can use the spring to get back to basics and build a chemistry heading into big-time competition. The whole idea of a fresh start came two years ago after current head coach Loren Lemke took over the program. There was never a problem of getting …

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So the ref blew a call. So what? The zebra turned his head and missed the illegal screen under the hoop. Big deal. Big deal!? “The refs need to see both sides of the game. They can play physical, but we can’t play physical,” said former Minnesota Golden Gopher and current NBA player Bobby Jackson last April. “I’d rather have high school refs than NBA refs.” It comes as no surprise his comments came after the Sacramento Kings lost to the Utah Jazz that night. Hopefully, Jackson remembers to file the $7,500 “donation” in his tax return after the NBA fined him for those comments.Moms, dads, Bob Knight, it doesn’t matter; freaking out over a tickey-tack foul is the most enjoyable and entertaining part of the game. Ever since Dr. James Naismith rigged a peach …

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A mode of transportation like nothing else is skiing across country. All you need for the sport are some skies, poles, snow and some open trails. The University of Minnesota Nordic Ski Club team consists of a great mix of people who have experience with the sport and also some who are just interested in learning. Cross country skiing is a physically exhausting sport. If you want to be able to compete, you must have great endurance, so the team spends much of its time getting in shape. During the winter months, the team practices daily at local parks, a nice blend of flat land and hills. There are numerous members of the club who only attend the practices because of their talent level. But, frequently, those who work hard at practice soon get the …

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So what makes Aaron Robinson move so darn quick on the basketball court? Is it the Jay-Z album bumping in his headphones before the game or his motivational prayer during the national anthem? Both of these pre-game rituals and a desire to change the game to a faster level has made Aaron Robinson one of the scrappiest players in the Big 10. The junior guard from Rockford, Ill. relishes in his spark-plug style of play and loves to use his energy to change the tempo of the game. Coaches welcome that attitude from any player but especially coming off the bench when the team looks lethargic. The host of schools recruiting Robinson includes the Universities of Connecticut, Miami (Fla.), Michigan and Minnesota, proving players with his aggression cannot …

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Rugby isn’t just bald, gap-toothed hooligans the size of boxcars playing overseas. Women at the “U” have a lot of that hooligan gene as well. But forget all that bald, gap-toothed, boxcar stuff. The University of Minnesota Women’s Rugby Club is the No. 1 team in the nation for Division II rugby programs and is participating in the national championship this spring. These women could pass through security posing as a gymnastic squad or even a basketball team. By the looks of them, it would be hard to imagine these same women engaging in one of the rawest forms of physical sport. Imagine getting in an 80-minute car wreck without your seatbelt on. Rugby, although slightly similar to American football, has one distinct difference: no pads. “While playing, the adrenaline is there so I don’t …

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And the list goes on and on for Gophers’ hoops star Lindsay Whalen. The senior guard surpassed Carol Ann Shudlick’s career-scoring record with one of her seven three pointers in the Gopher women’s loss against Michigan State January 25. Whalen, a senior from Hutchinson, MN, should be used to personal accolades and achievements by this point in her career. Before the start of this season, Whalen was named to the prestigious Wooden Women’s Award Preseason All-American list with the other top 29 women ball players in the country. Last season, she collected a Kodak first team All-American honor along with a second team AP All-American award. The sports management major also won a gold medal with the USA Young Women’s Team in Croatia last summer. But, like many stars, Whalen doesn’t …

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The University of Minnesota’s synchronized swimming team can be seen practicing on Mondays and Wednesdays in the diving hole of the aquatic center. There are nine girls who all look alike, dressed in very similar bathing suits, wearing matching swim caps and twirling in circles at the same time. It looks like they are practicing for underwater foosball.The synchronized swimming’s a-team is made up of eight girls, coached by Sarah Nelson and Jessica Kampa. They compete against the other Big Ten schools throughout the spring semester and, at each competition, the team is judged upon two things: its technical merit and artistic impression. These are put on a ten-point scale and the team with the most points brings home a victory. The technical merit judges how synchronized the team looks and the height during …

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When Amber Struzyk was a freshman on the University of Minnesota Dance team, she witnessed the end of a historical run of nine straight championships by the University of Memphis dance squad. Struzyk, now in her third season as dance coach for the Gophers, hopes her team can make its own mark in the history books. So far, things are going according to plan. The team took first place in the College Dance Division for the second consecutive year and became the first division I-A team in the last decade to win back-to-back national championships. An impressive feat, especially when you consider the team had seven newcomers, including six freshmen. “The rookies were excited and wanted to win, and the vets were hungry and wanted to defend,” Struzyk said. …

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Sure the 35-yard field goal would give the Gophers a victory over border rival Wisconsin and its first nine-wine season since 1905. But Gopher kicker/punter Rhys Lloyd had added incentive.“Coach [Glen Mason] told me that if I made the kick, the whole team was going to love me because we were going to have pizza for supper,” Lloyd said. “And I said, ‘As long as there’s extra.’”The 21-year-old, Recreation, Parks and Leisure major came to Apple Valley, MN from Dover, England in 1997 after his dad got a job as a professional soccer coach. He was a two-time All American at Rochester Community Technical College and transferred to the University last year. Lloyd, or Winston Churchill, the name Mason gave him last year after he couldn’t remember Lloyd’s name at practice, grew up playing soccer, …

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The men’s club soccer time lost in the semifinals of the National Tournament in Tuscaloosa, AL, but not before spoiling other teams’ championship hopes. The highlight of the tournament was a 3-0 trouncing of defending champion Weber State, coach Alan Merrick said.“They [Weber State] were mesmerized by our performance,” Merrick said. “We came out and took it to them early in the game.”The Gophers beat Arizona State, Texas and Weber State and then loss to Utah Valley State in the semis. Nick DeMeuse scored two of the three goals in the Weber State game and had an outstanding tournament, Merrick said. Viktor Adamcsek also played exceptional at midfield, but Merrick said his team ran out of gas with only four available subs due to injuries.“We felt happy and sad at the same time,” Adamcsek said. …

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In 2002 Gophers fans cheered as the Minnesota’s wrestling team successfully defended its 2001 national title. Last April, Dinkytown was once again swarming with fans after the men’s hockey team accomplished a repeat when they defeated New Hampshire in the national championship. Gopher fans might have another two-peat champ to cheer for, or cheer with, if the top-ranked U of M dance team pulls off another title in Orlando this January. Yes, the women’s dance team, the ladies who bust a move on the Williams Arena floor during Gophers’ hoop games and cut-a-rug on the Metrodome carpet during football games, are looking to defend their own 2003 title they earned last year at the College National Dance Championship. Some people might only think of the 17-member dance team as great entertainment during game breaks and as cheerleaders when the …

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The annual border battle between the Minnesota Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers brings out the best each state has to offer. Each team plays its heart out for the Paul Bunyan Axe, a hallowed symbol of the blood, sweat and tears expelled throughout the rivalry’s history. But the players are not the only ones leaving their emotions out on the field. Gopher and Badger fans gather together each year happy to exchange hateful cheers, partake in some beer drinking and of course, watch quality Big Ten football. This year’s game ended with Rhys Lloyd and rest of the Maroon and Gold streaking across the Metrodome carpet, ripping the axe away from the Badgers’ sideline. Lloyd drilled the game-winning, 35-yard field goal giving the Gophers a 37-34 victory in front of 59,543 crazed fans. And those draped …

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A wave of splashes rippled through the pool at the University Aquatic Center Saturday, October 18 as the men’s water polo team took control of the ball early in the first period of the Division Championships 4th place game versus Iowa State. Amidst the splashes, Iowa’s defense couldn’t hold up captain Chris Hasling. He ducked his head in the water, quickly swam around the defense and went for the kill. The ball flew past the Iowa goalie and Hasling had the game’s first goal.Minnesota had the upper hand throughout, defeating Iowa 5-3 to claim fourth place in the Division Championship. It was the second year in a row the Gophers finished the Division in fourth. A day earlier, the Gophers lost to South Dakota in their first game 10-3. Saturday’s second game against Nebraska came …

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Flash lights popped and fans cheered. The glowing lights of Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium shined on the freshly cut grass still showing mower lines.And as the men’s soccer club posed for pictures at midfield after a 3-1 victory in its last regular season game against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, players tried not to get caught up in the moment. Instead they shifted their focus from the regular season to a much grander stage: the national tournament.But this year’s squad is different than those of the past. With a host of new players, including some that have never played in a national tournament, it’s easy to be uncertain about how the players will get on the field come tournament time. Last year’s squad lost in the quarterfinals at nationals, but players and coaches aren’t worried …

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